WORCESTER — Traffic and roadway improvements being planned for Grafton Street, from Franklin Street to Rice Square, received mixed reviews Wednesday night from business owners in the Grafton Hill area.

While they supported some aspects of the $7.5 million state project, they voiced a variety of concerns about other aspects, especially over the loss of some on-street parking spaces along Grafton Street.

Because many of the businesses in that area lack off-street parking, they rely on on-street parking for their customers.

"The ability to park quickly at some of these businesses is of great importance to those business owners," said District 3 City Councilor George J. Russell. "I hope efforts can be made to preserve as much existing on-street parking on Grafton Street as possible."

About two dozen people attended a meeting held by the Grafton Hill Business Association at the Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center to discuss the plans.

Joseph F. Borbone, director of the Engineering Division of the Department of Public Works and Parks, said the project has been five years in the works, after the city designated the Grafton Street improvements as a priority in 2009 because of traffic safety and congestion issues.

"Parking is always difficult, but a majority of the changes that will be made will be good," he said.

Among the proposed changes is the realignment of the intersection at lower Grafton Street so vehicles traveling south will be able to directly access Winter Street at Franklin and Water streets to get to Harding and Green streets and the Canal District.

Currently, traffic from Grafton Street going to the Canal District has to take a circuitous route via Franklin and Temple streets.

That part of the plan had the support of Grafton Hill business owners, as well as plans to better improve the flow of traffic along Grafton Street by integrating through computerization the timing of the traffic signals along the street, from Franklin Street to Billings Square.

But concerns were raised about the newly configured intersection on Grafton Street at the entrance to the CSX terminal. Mr. Russell said tractor-trailer trucks exiting the terminal are still taking a left-hand turn onto Grafton Street and traveling through the business district on their way to the Massachusetts Turnpike in Millbury.

He asked that a traffic island be constructed at that intersection to prevent the trucks from making that left turn.

Another aspect of the plan that drew some criticism is the planned redesign of Billings Square. The rotary there would be made slightly larger and the two lanes of traffic that feed into it from Hamilton Street would be reduced to one.

Also, traffic islands would be added in the square to provide two dedicated lanes of traffic.

The concern was that could result in traffic backups entering the square during high traffic times in the morning and evening.

But Paul J. Moosey, commissioner of public works and parks, said the redesigned rotary would reduce the number of accidents there.

Mr. Moosey said issues raised by the business owners will be conveyed to the state to see if the plans can be modified in any way.

He said the project plans likely will not be completed until 2016, with construction not starting until 2017.